Oneil Cruz's Role With Pirates After Injury
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates finally have Oneil Cruz back from injury and will hope he can produce as he once did.
Cruz came off of the 60-day injured list on Aug. 17, missing 60 games and two months of play due to a left hand fracture.
It prevented the Pirates from deploying one of their best bats, who brings power and incredible exit velocity, as well as their best base stealer.
The Pirates now have their center fielder back, but what his role looks like post-injury won't exactly be the same as it was prior.
Cruz Building Back as Hitter
Cruz didn't play vs. the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park on Aug. 17, but is available for the team going forward and they can use him in a variety of ways.
The biggest concern for Cruz was his hitting, as getting his hand to heal properly for him to withstand bat-to-ball contact, particularly with his exit velocities, required some time and extra rehab.
Cruz isn't fully healed and may experience residual swelling, per Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk, but he is cleared to go and won't have any further damage to his left hand.
Pirates manager Don Kelly said that Cruz will be available going forward, but that they will manage him carefully, seeing how he adjusts to major league pitching after two months away.
"Yeah, I think it's more that, just at-bat to at-bat seeing how he responds," Kelly said pregame. "Seems to be in a really good spot. Hit some balls pretty hard on the rehab assignment and is in a good spot. Just something that we're gonna have to be communicating on and be mindful of as we go forward."
The Pirates could have Cruz serve as designated hitter, where he can display his bat and focus fully on regaining his confidence and strength at the plate.
Pittsburgh has used the designated hitter role to give some of their fielders a day off from defensive roles, such as left fielder Bryan Reynolds, second baseman Brandon Lowe and first baseman Spencer Horwitz.
Cruz was excellent for the Pirates at the plate, hitting .264/.350/.472 for an OPS of .822, with 10 doubles, and 14 home runs, so having his bat in the lineup is a big boost, giving Kelly a tough choice.
"I'm not sure exactly. We'll go through it," Kelly said. "I think if he's not playing every day, how do we navigate that with Reynolds or other guys that maybe need to DH, too, to get them off their feet? I think that will be fluid as we go. Having that spot to rotate guys in and out, I'm sure we'll see Oneil there at times."
Cruz Returning to Center Field
It's most likely that Cruz returns to center field for most of the remainder of this season, where he usually plays.
Cruz started 56 of 57 games played in center field and served as a designated hitter in just five games prior to his injury.
The Pirates have had Jake Mangum take that role in center field with Cruz out injured, so he should still play games there, but spend more time filling in all three outfield spots rather than as a starter.
Kelly is just happy to have Cruz back and play the game the way he has, which will lead to more wins for the Pirates.
"Yeah, there's a lot of ways that Oneil can help us win," Kelly said. "We all know he's got the power, the arm strength in the outfield, the speed on the bases. Just excited to have him back to help us win."
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.